004 ⟡ JULY TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ test drive 04 ✩⋆

The day begins like any other.

Routines, eventful scenes, and boring errands — no matter what you were in the middle of, there's a moment where everything begins to feel wrong. A searing pain tears through your body, so intense that it feels like every nerve has been struck at once. Muscles spasm, joints scream in protest, and as you double over, you find yourself clawing or clinging at anything within your reach. As your attempts to maintain composure fail you, your bones begin to twist with an agonizing force, the pain rising in a crescendo until it becomes unbearable to even breathe. Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

For a single, terrifying moment, there's nothing. No sight, no sound, no touch, no taste, no smell — just the weight of nothingness swallowing you whole. The absence of sensation might even be worse than the pain, leaving you adrift in a void you can't escape. Hopelessness threatens every fiber of your existence, and try as you might to fight it, your darkest thoughts begin to surface, flooding your mind in an onslaught of suffocating feelings and ideas.

In the darkness, you hear a voice.

It's faint, a gentle flashing of something warm along the edges of your mind, like sunlight itself. It's a voice, but you can't identify who or what it comes from, how it sounds, or what it means — still, you know it's directed at you. Something tugs at your heart, a powerful ache that throbs once and ripples outwards. You can feel the aches again, like fresh sores throughout your body. You feel off, like something isn't quite right, like you're not where you should be, or who you should be. But the voice continues, whispered just beyond your understanding. The sound is warm like hope, and it wraps around you, distant yet intent, before you wake up.

i. arrivals

STRANDED ON A BEACH

Beneath your body is wet, thick, sand. In the early dawn hours, one would think all color drained from the world. Eyes open to the shadows of distant buildings, with massive cliffs looming ever closely in the faint twinkling of sunlight. Water, for those particularly unlucky, laps at the body to leave a persisting chill — sinking into bones that no longer feel familiar.

It’s impossible to tell how you got here. All you have is those last moments before it felt as if your entire being was being broken down and stretched into this uncanny shape, this thing that doesn’t feel like you. Even the ground itself seems to agree. It shifts, and rumbles. Gathers into mounds, rising up and over with the sounds of dying gasps. But wait.

That isn’t normal sand. That sand is alive. That sand, gathering into shades of pink, of blue, of green, it all forms faces before your very eyes. An enemy, you may think? A monster? A threat?

“OhhhHHhHH…What has happened to us..?”

Or perhaps, someone in the same predicament as you?

“Someone…Someone get Mightyena!!”

Albeit someone who clearly knows more than you do here, on this beach that slowly regains its color.

CASTLES OF SAND

⟡ Severity of dysphoria and disorientation symptoms are entirely up to the player, as is the duration of time these symptoms last.

⟡ The Sandygasts on the beach of Bottlecap Bay are in fact residents of the town by proxy. They are at their most active during the summer, and can thus act as helpful NPCs to help player characters toward the town.

⟡ These Sandygasts are very strange in color. The colors they appear in include — Pink with lilac stones and a blue shovel; Moss green with brown stones and a black shovel; Deep red with black stones and a cyan shovel; Dark purple with white stones and a black shovel. They don’t know how their colors changed either, but they certainly remember being normal Sandygast before everyone arrived.

ii. see the sunset

COPPERAJAH-TONE

With newly arrived Pokemon settling in from the beach, the town quickly moves to adjust existing plans until they’re certain the shores are clear. It only takes a few days before they’re back on schedule however, and every Pokemon including those same arrivals will find themselves with an open invitation to the shoreline.

With the recent successes of Bottlecap Bay, public opinion is at an all time high, which is reflected in the activities pulled together in response. Through much of the Summer season, the beach of Bottlecap Bay becomes a literal hotspot of activity. Beach activities that many will find familiar take part at all hours, with equipment set up at small stands for public use.

A volleyball net is a particularly popular feature of the beach, with a particularly spooky form of gameplay spotted in the evening hours where Ghost types reign. Multicolored buoys float out to section off a safe zone of the water for Pokemon capable of it to swim at their leisure as well, with Bottlecap’s very own Dondozo and Tatsugiri acting as lifeguard.

The most popular game by far however is sand sculpting. Tools of wood and stone can be gathered up to shape the sand into any number of shapes, and some Pokemon may even offer small rewards to those who make especially impressive ones.

Be sure not to accidentally use the sand of one of those colorful Sandygasts however.

Beach Day Breakdown

⟡ During the entirety of July, beginning on the 15th, the beach is open for public summer games.

⟡ While examples listed above are available, Players are encouraged to include their own Beach traditions within reason. If you are unsure, please ask under questions.

⟡ Beach fun will happen during the day and night alike. During the day, the beach is far more active; Pokemon are livelier, and enjoy much more cheerful activities. At night, while many Ghost and Dark type Pokemon enjoy the games, there are also often small campfires where quieter traditions such as apple roasting and scary stories happen.

⟡ Alcohol may be present at the campfires of the evening. Please be sure to mark threads including alcohol with a warning, and remember that characters under the age of 21 may not partake.

iii. mentorship methods

BUDDY SYSTEMS

A whole host of new Pokemon arriving is no longer a fully unanticipated scenario for Bottlecap Bay. While the town has persistently done their best to seek a solution to so many displaced new citizens, they have also come to recognize a growing pattern in their arrival. Every other month, these new Pokemon have appeared.

Therefore, the combination of their recent peace and the local nature of these particular arrivals has given them an easy option for guiding these lost new souls. Rather than any of the Guild leaders seeking out ideal Pokemon among their ranks, those who have arrived from other worlds themselves are tasked with a new assignment. Help their fellow interlopers!

At minimum, each Guild Leader suggests a few basics to cover, but the methods with which they do this is ultimately left up to them. A tour of the local sights? A chance to test their mettle with brand new powers? Or perhaps simply a listening ear from one who understands the strangeness of these new bodies. The world is truly their Cloyster.

A MENTOR MINDSET

⟡ Each of the Guild Leaders will offer to their existing members few points they consider most vital to teach to the newcomers. Mightyena focuses on making sure the new Pokemon have a place to sleep, and insists that they be taught how best to fight. Ribombee emphasizes a need to show the necessary work ethic of the community, so that an understanding of how much they need to work together is understood. Polteageist in turn, gives a list of necessary establishments to familiarize themselves with, beginning with the Clinic, Archives, and Questboard.

⟡ During much of the month, various Pokemon maintaining stores and eateries within Bottlecap Bay will be offering their own helpful advice to guides and their charges. This trivia is minor, but typically focused on what the food is like, or what the benefits of certain articles of clothing might be.

⟡ Any Pokemon who helps another newcomer will earn 50 points for their Guild! As well, newly arrived Pokemon who put up with the guidance will receive a voucher for a custom, non-magical accessory, such as a hat or scarf.

ADVANCE TRAINING

After considerable research and effort, Polteageist has once again teamed up with Dr. Denne to craft a series of ever popular escape rooms, hinting that participating in them will be very useful in the future. Joining the effort is none other than Cheri and Oran's own Ribombee and Mightyena as well, making it a truly unified project. With so much investment going into these exercises, it's no wonder that every Pokemon from another world, new and old alike, is offered the chance to try at least one when they have the chance.

THE NORTH

⟡ Located just between the Canopy and the beginnings of Bottlecap Bay’s southern coastline, the lush greenery of the Northern Forest's entry has been sectioned off into a training ground. Pokemon are grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze within this early area of woods.

⟡ While many threats within the Northern Forest are well documented, some may still come as a surprise. Wild Pokemon such as Bug and Grass Types may still be encountered, as well as mushrooms releasing rage spores.

⟡ The Forest itself is also a threat — though it seems to understand these Pokemon mean no true harm, vines and plants will move when not directly looked at, creating added navigational challenges.

⟡ Pokemon who show no signs of escaping on their own after a certain point will find themselves retrieved by a local Grafaiai or Mankey, as enlisted by Bottlecap Bay.

THE MIDDLE

⟡ Located a good distance down the southern coastline of the Bay, a section of the Middle Forest's entry has been carefully sectioned for a training ground. Supervised in part by a recently recruited Bloodmoon Usaluna, Pokemon will be grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze in this early area of woods.

⟡ Due to the presence of heavy supernatural fog, Pokemon participants are warned heavily in advance of what to expect. The fog is known to literally reach into others, creating visions and hallucinations, as well as a deep loss of identity the longer they're exposed.

⟡ The end of the maze does not lead out of the Middle Forest. Instead, Pokemon must find their way back from the uniquely marked bone pile; because of the fog, this return is far shorter than the journey in.

⟡ Pokemon who spend too long within the Middle Forest while showing no signs of successfully escaping will quickly be retrieved by Ursaluna, whose Mind's Eye grants relative immunity to the Fog's effects.

THE SOUTH

⟡ Far to the south of Bottlecap Bay, beyond the farthest stretch of wooded coastline, the Southern Forest lies shrouded in darkness. While there is no longer a thick haze of fog, its unique dangers mean that numerous Ghost Pokemon have been recruited to monitor a simple challenge within the woods. Specifically, two Pokemon will be paired at random, led a short ways in, and told to find their way out.

⟡ Due to the mechanics of the Southern Forest, nothing within this 'maze' has been crafted personally. Pokemon are sufficiently disoriented by the forest's own ability to alter its surroundings when none are looking directly at them, as well as the significant time dilation that occurs here.

⟡ Local Ghosts who have entered an agreement with Bottlecap's recently recruited Spiritomb will be available as both obstacles, and guides. As obstacles, they will intentionally lead Pokemon astray by joining the team in disguise, playing on the Forest's ability to create inconsistencies in memory and experience both.

⟡ Any Pokemon who spend too long within the Southern Forest with no signs of being able to return on their own will be led home by Ghost Pokemon acting as guides. These Pokemon take care to not shapeshift into anything other than themselves.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ TDM CWS: Disorientation, Dissociation (Escape Room Prompts), Body Dysmorphia, Possible Pokemon Injury

⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.

⟡ New characters can link to their top level beneath the NEWBIE DIRECTORY

⟡ All new arrivals are not assigned to any one guild. However, they may assume themselves to share rooms within any one of them during the course of the TDM.

⟡ Remember that at least one thread for your application must come from the TDM! There is no comment minimum, but we will be looking for engagement, as well as for players and characters who take the time to delve into things like character thoughts, emotions, morality, and other deep themes. Take this time to engage with the setting as you would in game!

⟡ As a reminder, reserves and applications are permanently opened. Please see their respective pages for details on processing time.

⟡ Have any questions related to the TDM? Ask here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

mysterious place....

[heartonachain]

[The Deino has been combing the beach, poking at every single object they can find in the sand like they're on a mission. What if that shell holds a valuable piece of insight? Maybe that stick could be a powerful weapon?? The possibilities are endless...

Of course, it's only a matter of time before they find the suspicious golden mask. This thing looks cursed as hell. They'd have to be an idiot to put that on.]

♥︎

Wear the cursed object

Do not

[Yeah, okay. They don't have arms so this is actually a big ask. They have to pick it up with their mouth, flip it over and then shove their face into it. Maybe it won't stick and they'll only look a little stupid for trying this.]

well. it's not moss, at least

[consequerer]

[ Through some amount of grit, sticktoitiveness, effort and finagling, and maybe some nebulous ghost Pokemon magic, the mask does manage to get scooped up by their shoving their face unceremoniously into it eventually. Somehow. Now that they've got it on them...

It's dark. You can see into the depths of the abyss like this. No, wait, that's just Deino's natural lack of ability to see. Maybe they should consider getting a haircut, is that something they've thought about?

Anyway. Smells like sand, salt, and ... flowers?

* At least one of these things doesn't quite fit the beach. ]

[heartonachain]

[In this moment of blindness, they think about getting a haircut. This is, of course, a stupid thought, because they're a dragon right now and they don't even have arms, how are they supposed to cut their hair? More importantly, Kris likes their hair the way it is. Skill issue. Get good, idiot.

They stumble forward, relying on their other senses to guide them. The sand muffles their footsteps, but they follow the scent of flowers on the breeze. This stands out to them, for some reason. It seems odd that it does. Is it really that weird to have flowers on the beach? Tropical flowers exist. Still, it's a goal, and they don't have anything better to do.

Eventually, they bump into something. Succumbing to their primal dragon and gremlin-child urges, they impulsively Bite the thing in front of them.]

[consequerer]

[ This is just going to be one of those days, isn't it. The fact that the scent of (these particular) flowers don't strike their wearer as notable ... not so much familiarity with golden flowers, then? ... The strongest of that particular scent clings to the mask more than anything.

But also, there definitely are other floral scents wafting around the area. They have just enough time to realize that this gremgon (gremlin-dragon) has probably found the source of one of them, and that it might actually be chained together somehow with something sticky, before the gremgon is biting the Thing.

The thing squeaks at them. Beat.

* ... Tastes like long walks on the beach at sunset.
* Also, maybe pink and the general concept of vacations.

The thing bitten sounds like it's getting a little agitated, though. "Oh! Excuse me! I know you can't really see that well, but it's still rude to just walk up to and bite people!"

Congratulations. They have chomped down on a Comfey. ]

[heartonachain]

Bite harder

♥︎

Show mercy

[They take a concerningly long pause before releasing the Comfey from their jaws. Today is not the day they break their pacifist streak and get oneshot by a 4x effective Moonblast, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

Besides, this isn't the flower they're looking for. Golden flowers come to mind.

... they can't see what colour any of these flowers are.

But, okay, fine. Kris has seen flowers like that before, and now that they're focusing on it there's familiarity in the scent... but it's really not anything special. Just another kind of flower. Why does this mask smell like a boring flower shop? Does it belong to someone who smells like golden flowers...?]

♥︎    Golden flowers
	Sorry for biting you		You taste like a relaxing beach date
Nothing

[Lacking any other leads, they direct their attention to this rando they bit barely ten seconds ago.] Are there any golden flowers around here?

[consequerer]

[ "Golden flowers...?" The Comfey tilts its entire body a little in confusion, probably because who even walks up to, bites someone, and then starts asking about flowers. "Oh, like the yellow ones I have? I found mine in a field over that way, just before you reach the forest proper.

"But really, if you wanted them there was no need to bite! I can show... oh, well, Deino can't really, can they... what can I... Oh, maybe I can just ride around your head and tug left or right to show you the way?"

Without further ado, the Comfey plops themselves down to ... well, given the relative sizes, they probably end up something like a flower crown for the Deino and mask combo. They might drape down around the neck a little but not entirely.

* This may be getting a little out of hand.
* You might as well start offering rides to any other passersby while you're at it?

Now there's four three of them and only one body to ferry them all around. ]

[heartonachain]

[Despite how ridiculous this whole situation is, they nod to the Comfey's offer. Yeah, sure, why not? Just pile on even more backseat drivers, not like Kris has any choice in the matter.

They let their body move on its own for awhile, but now that they have a chance to think in peace... something about this is bothering them. The Soul only shares its thoughts—intrusively, beamed directly into their mind—when it wants to do something. It doesn't do passive. It doesn't give running commentary. They can barely understand what it wants them to do sometimes, let alone what it might be thinking.

But this stream of thoughts... it blends with their own in an odd way, but it's not them, and it's not the Soul. They're realizing now that this mask may, in fact, be haunted for real.

They focus inward, like they would when they're trying to influence the Soul, and...

* Ralsei's voice echoes...
* "Kris! You can only EQUIP two ARMORs at a time!"
* Maybe you should toss one of these.
* Bet that mask would fly like a frisbee if you threw it.]

[consequerer]

[ Oh, that's interesting. They're used to this. That or they're a particularly fast learner.

Or maybe not being able to see anything but the inside of their skull leaves that much more opportunity for noticing these things. Could be any of these things, really. But the body moves, despite the apparently lack of attention from either themself or ... presumably the body's actual owner, so hmm.

Hmm. Well, okay. Let's play.

('Ralsei?')

* The mask does look like it can be flung.
* It is no stick, but.
* Perhaps it may attract dogs intent on playing fetch as well.

Inb4 incoming Laios. ]

[heartonachain]

[They don't expect the ghost to agree with them... but maybe it doesn't want to be here, either. It didn't ask them to put on that mask. Clearly, this is the best outcome for everyone involved. The body slows to a stop, seeming to consider these intrusive thoughts about flinging the mask into the woods and leaving it be.

... and then turns sharply, marching ahead in a new direction, ignoring the Comfey's polite attempts at course-correction. Kris can't even see where they're going, but there's a sense of purpose in their movements, stumbling over uneven ground as they make a beeline for... something. They don't know what they're looking for, but they stop when something hard bumps their foot.

Whatever this is, it will help them. They reach down to grip it with their teeth.

...

* You found a BIG STICK.
* Tastes like a mouthful of sand.
* You feel prepared to handle as many as two dogs now.

Either the Soul is too stupid to figure out they have an extra voice in their head, or its decided to ride this out and see what happens. Awful. There is a weary, exasperated sigh before they turn back around and return to following Comfey's instructions (not going to question how they know where they left off, trust the process).

* You have a feeling that, no matter what you say, this is still going to be your life for the next hour or so.
* You decide to stop worrying about it.
* Your choices don't matter anyway.]

[consequerer]

[ Well! That is quite the line of internal monologue! Used to it, indeed. Though what that kind of reaction qualifies as ... resignation? Learned helplessness?

Acceptance? Surely not?

* A BIG STICK...!
* Truly, this is one of the peak specimens of STICK to be found on this beachfront.
* Dogs will come flocking, just begging for you to throw it.
* At least the dogs will not be asking for a ride?
* Probably!
* There is time yet for that assumption to be proven wrong.

The Comfey continues to be perhaps hilariously oblivious to whatever might be going on in this Deino's head. But of course they are. They're just a silly hat, placed on top of another one, attempting to help locate for this silly creature the flowers they asked for. ]

[heartonachain]

Noisy.

[They hiss the word under their breath and through the stick, much to the confusion of Comfey who has been mostly quiet this whole time, only speaking up to occasionally give directions. Kris sounds annoyed, though.

They don't need two streams of consciousness describing everything around here. This is going to get old fast.]

If you're gonna do that, at least pick your own thing to talk about. [Comfey is definitely confused now but maybe they don't care if they sound a little crazy... then again, they still have a stick in their mouth so it sounds more like "Mf mmr ghmmh mm mff hh mmph mmf mmr ohm ffmmg fo fhhm abmmf" to anyone not currently living in their brain.]